But there was a cop directly in front of me.

I parked anyway, hoping the cop wouldn’t care. But right away he put on his lights, rolled down the window, and said, “You can’t park there!”

I put on my best Reasonable Voice and said, “Could I just jump in there to buy a cupcake really quick?”

He shook his head. “No. I do this every day.”

So I gave him my Obedient Understanding You’re Just Doing Your Job Face and got back in the car. Despite the face, I wasn’t happy. I wasn’t lying to the cop–I truly was only going to be a minute. Every other parking spot in the area was full, so I was going to have to use the pay-by-the-hour parking deck down the street.

The cop had waited around to make sure that I actually pulled out of the yellow zone stop, so I was really hoping that he was still around to see me walk into The Cup and back out within 2 minutes. For some reason it’s important for me to prove to people that I’m telling the truth in situations where they clearly don’t believe me. But by the time I left the shop, the cop was gone.

The hourly rate in the parking deck was a little tough to decipher–it was one of those pricing riddles, like: $3.00 for the first hour, $1.00 for every additional hour up to 5 hours, max of $15 unless it’s a harvest moon and you’re driving a compact car, in which case it’s $1 for the first hour and $2 for every subsequent hour. $1 extra per passenger unless the cumulative weight and age of all passengers adds up to less than 400.

So I drove up the attendant, silently cursing the stubborn cop, and handed him my ticket.

“You’re good,” he said.

“What? It’s free?”

“It says ‘zero’.”

I wasn’t sure if the attendant was following the computer (most likely) or giving me a break because of the whole cupcake situation (which he didn’t know about, but I think somehow he knew), but I thanked him profusely and drove away.

And literally–I’m not exaggerating–I felt like the luckiest man alive. For a mere savings of $3 (or, if my calculations were slightly off, $1,209). But because of all that had preceded it and because I thought I was going to get charged, when I walked away for free, I felt amazing.

The next time you get something for free that you expected to pay for, soak it in. This is the good stuff of life.

However, I have one rule about this sites that I want to share, and I want your opinion about it. I think it’s a rule worth following, but I understand if others have different points of view.

My Groupon Rule: Don’t buy daily deals from restaurants and stores that you already like and believe in. Instead, use them as a reminder to give those places your business.

I realized that I have this ruled today when I saw today’s Groupon in St. Louis (see photo). St. Louis Cinemas is an awesome, local, independent chain of movie theaters. I’ve been to their theaters at least 20 times this year. Their popcorn is delicious.

Thus this daily deal would have made sense for me to get, right?

Groupon is really good at trying to attract new clients or re-attract old clients that haven’t patronized the businesses for a while. However, it’s only good for that purpose, because businesses lose money on every Groupon sold. They only recoup those loses if those new and returning clients come back again in the future and pay full price. (Or if people don’t use the Groupons they buy, which happens about 15% of the time.)

So I’d challenge you to think about this when you spot a Groupon for your favorite restaurant. And maybe you could justify it if you go there as often as I go to the movies. But if you haven’t been to that restaurant for a while, go there and give them your money. If you already know you love the place, you’re getting something great in return.

For those of you in St. Louis, here are four businesses that I believe in to the point where I won’t buy their Groupons:

• Pie Oh My
• Bartolino’s Osteria
• Angel Baked Cookies
• Wasabi

She said that in honor of Thanksgiving, she was calling all her clients to thank them for their loyalty (I’ve been with her for a while, probably close to 8 years). Then she asked if I were available on November 19 at 7:00 pm for something she was planning for all her clients.

I immediately started thinking of all the possible excuses I could say. I was fully prepared to say I would be busy, especially when she said that she’d be renting out a movie theater. I thought for sure she’s be showing some poorly written family-friendly fare that I wouldn’t see if you paid me to, like Clifford’s Really Big Movie, Paul Blart: Mall Cop, or Saw V.

But then she said the movie would be Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1. On premiere night. And I could bring a friend. And that they’d be handing out VISA gift cards for use at concession. The only way the news could have been better would have been if she had said the name of the movie with a Bri’ish accent like the royal family sketch on SNL this past weekend (pause in writing to rewatch it) and if she had said that every attendee would have a personal masseuse for the duration of the movie.

They're rushing to find my insurance agent.

Now, Jackie could have called me up and offered me $3 off my car insurance from now on. That’s about $36 a month, probably close to the cost of two tickets and a $5 gift card.

But I’d choose the perk any day over that. It was just such a wonderful gesture, and it’s spreadable. Would I be blogging about a $3 monthly discount on my car insurance? Would I even remember that rebate in a few months? Nope. But I’ll remember this.

It’s a lesson to us all for both clients and employees–perks can often resonate much deeper than cash. I think the key is not to skimp on the perk, though. Jackie went all out, and it probably cost her a pretty penny to rent that theater. But it was totally worth it.

What kind of perks have you created or been privy to that went a long way…or didn’t?

Daily Quickie: You know who doesn’t go all out? AMC theaters in St. Louis (they’re awesome in Kansas City). The popcorn is terrible, the butter is gross, and they don’t have real popcorn salt. And the prices are outrageous. A large combo and a candy were $18! I haven’t been to an AMC in a long time, opting instead for the Chase, Moolah, Hi-Pointe, Frontenac, and the Tivoli. With those other theaters doing everything they can to create a great movie experience, I won’t be going back to AMC until Jackie rents out a theater again.

It was a lot of fun, so I decided to host a similar function this week, but with buffalo wings. Most people bought wings from local restaurants, which I’ll rank below, but one guy made wings at home. They were fall-off-the-bone good.

My rankings:

1. Culpepper’s: These were classic wings, crispy on the outside, moist on the inside, with just the right amount and flavor of sauce. I’ve had these before and wasn’t all that impressed, but today they were so good that I wanted to cover myself in chicken skin and dip myself in Culpepper sauce (yes, I’m aware that doesn’t make any sense).
2. Ozzie’s: Almost identical to Culpepper’s, but they had slightly less sauce.
3. Buffalo Wild Wings: I know, it’s a chain, but their wings are darn good. They’re just meat and flavor, nothing else getting in the way of the good stuff.
4. Syberg’s: With their mustard-based sauce, these had the most unique flavor of the bunch.
5. St. Louis Pizza and Wings: These wings were decent, but they were doused in a really watery sauce.
6. Wing Stop: Very similar to St. Louis Pizza and Wings. As several of us commented, these tasted really unhealthy.
7. Hooters: Honestly, these didn’t even seem like wings. They were fried chicken, heavily breaded and greasy. They weren’t bad, but they don’t fit into the category of wings.

After the event, some other friends suggested we try the wings at Weber’s, Mangia, and Pi Pizza.

What do you think? What are your favorite wings in St. Louis. Or if you don’t live in St. Louis, what do you think makes the perfect buffalo wing?

One of the top posts on this blog is 10 Fun Facts About Puerto Rico, a place I’ve only been once. So I figured it’s about time to write about the place I’ve come to love over the last 10 years (I was partially inspired by a fellow blogger’s post about why you should visit Louisiana). So if you ever come to St. Louis, here are the top 10 things you should do.

1. Have a burger for lunch with me at Liluma. Seriously. You might as well meet me if you’re here, and we’re talking about the best burger ever made. If you don’t like burgers, I’d say that Pappy’s Smokehouse is next on the list.
2. Go to a Cardinals game. It doesn’t matter if you don’t like baseball. Cardinals games are a ton of fun.
3. Don’t go up the Arch. Instead, walk around the base of the arch. There’s a nice riverfront park there (FYI, the Arch runs perpendicular to the Mississippi River, not across it. As some of us may have originally thought), and you’ll get a much better idea of the architectural feat that is the Arch than actually going up inside of it, which is probably the most anticlimactic thing you’ll ever do.
4. Go on the Budweiser Brewery tour. It’s interesting, there are horses (complete with horse anatomy and feces!), and free beer at the end. Get a pretzel at St. Louis mainstay Gus’s Pretzels while you’re down there. However, if you want to go to the largest St. Louis brewery (Bud isn’t American-owned anymore), go to the delightful Schlafly Bottleworks.
5. Get dessert. St. Louis has some legendary desserts. I’m recommend going to Crowne Candy Kitchen for milkshakes and the Cupcakery for (can you guess?) cupcakes. There are also a number of great gelaterias. If you want a traditional St. Louis food, get some gooey butter cake or some Ted Drewes frozen custard.
6. Go to Forest Park and the zoo. Burn off those calories from the dessert by taking a run in the beautiful Forest Park. Run by the fountains and keep going over to the zoo, which I think is the second-best public (free) zoo in the U.S. Don’t leave until you hang out with the penguins and puffins for a while. (If you’re in the mood for a walk instead of a run, try the Botanical Gardens.)
7. Treat yourself to dinner. There are plenty of great places to eat in St. Louis, but I’d put Atlas Restaurant and Iron Barley up there as a great combination of service, experience, and delicious food. If you want to eat Obama’s favorite pizza at a cool ambiance, hit up Pi Pizza.
8. See a movie at the Moolah. I know, some people might think it odd to go see a movie when you could see a movie anywhere. But you really haven’t ever seen a movie in a place like the Moolah. One huge screen, leather couches, great popcorn…it’s a great theater.
9. See a concert at The Pageant. This is one of the coolest concert venues I’ve ever been to. It just…works. In the summer, though, I’d recommend the UMB Bank Pavilion (or whatever it’s called now). They have a huge sloped lawn where thousands of people crowd for the biggest acts.
10. End your night with drinks at the Chocolate Bar. Have you ever fantasized about living in a place where everything is made of chocolate? That’s the Chocolate Bar. It gets very crowded, but it’s worth it.

Of course, I’ve left many things off the list (the City Museum, the Muny, the casinos, the amazing crepes)…but that is how Top 10 lists work. What do you think, fellow St. Louisans? What would you add to the list?

Best Steak: Iron Barley / Special Cut Smoked Ribeye Stake + BBQ Bacon-Wrapped Shrimp Appetizer = $20

Best Burger: Liluma / The Burger = $9

Best Bar Food: Barrister’s / Blackened Tilapia Sandwich + Soft Pretzels and Guinness Cheese Sauce = $15

Best Dessert: The Cupcakery / Plain Confetti Cupcake Cookie = $2

Best Pizza: Dewey’s Pizza / Pepperoni and Mushroom Pizza with Red Sauce = $14

Best BBQ: Pappy’s Smokehouse / Pulled Pork Sandwich + Sweet Tea = $10

Best Italian: Bartolino’s Osteria / Canoli = $15

Best Drink: Bailey’s Chocolate Bar / Chocolate Stout Beer Shake = $5

Best Mediterranean: Coffee Oasis / Deluxe Gyro with Tzaziki and Hummus = $9

Best Mexican: Chavas / El Mireko + Chile con Queso = $9

Best French: Atlas Restaurant / Grilled Lamb Loin Chops + Piccolo Frito with Lemon Garlic Aoli = $23

Best Vietnamese: Miss Saigon / Chicken Curry = $9

Best Japanese: Wasabi / Wasabi Special Roll + Clayton Roll = $20

Best Appetizers: 1111 Mississippi / Wild Boar Ravioli + Oak Oven Roasted Mussels = $22

Best Breakfast: Roosters / Banana and Nutella Crepe = $7

Best Vegetarian: Kaldi’s in Demun / Cheese Burrito = $6

Best Deli: Vivola Express / Boar’s Head Meat Sandwich with Spicy Mustard + Free Popcorn
View The Best Food in St. Louis in a larger map

You know what you say. Regardless of how the food tastes, you say, “It’s great!”

You do this for a few reasons:

1. You know it’s the answer that he wants to hear.
2. That is the answer that will make sure that he moves along.
3. Even if you have something constructive to say, you don’t think it’ll make a difference.

I’m sure there are exceptions out there, but probably not many. I worked as a waiter several summers during college and am always on the lookout for signs of a good or bad dining experience, and yet I always say the same thing. “It’s great.”

Tonight this happened at a good restaurant. A great restaurant, in fact. I’m going to name it because my thoughts won’t negatively affect this restaurant at all, and they might just benefit from my advice. It’s called 1111 Mississippi, and it’s located…well, you can figure that out.

Both the waiter and the manager came up to the table during the meal and asked, “How is everything?” The waiter at least came to a complete stop before asking this question, while the manager (possibly the owner) said it while moving away past the table. The answer he wanted was clear, and he got it.

I asked Nancy if she could think of a question that would actually elicit potentially useful feedback from customers and engage them beyond the requisite “How is everything?” I was impressed–she came up with a fantastic answer right away:

“How can we improve?”

And not just ask this question, but have a notepad and a pen at ready when you ask it. That way people know that you’re truly interested in what they have to say.

Some people will not want the intrusion in their meal. It’s easy to give a short answer to this question. A good waiter/manager will recognize this, thank them, and move on immediately.

Others, however, will realize that they have something to say. The manager can take note of their comments, thank them for their feedback, and walk away.

The customer is not always right. However, they are always respected and always listened to. Always. By giving the customer permission to make suggestions, you make them feel valued and you create a memorable dining experience. And if you start to notice some patterns in the feedback you receive, you’ll be able improve your food/service/ambiance as well.

In addition, just so they end the meal on a positive note, put a business card next to their bill with a blank on the back preceeded by the question, “What was your favorite part of the meal?” They can jot something down and either keep it as a reminder of what they liked or pass it along to a friend.

If 1111 Mississippi is doing everything it can (and should) to value and engage customers, it will see this blog on their daily Google Alert and hopefully comment below. Let’s see what happens.